From Sunday School to Baptist Training Union to Vacation Bible School, I heard about Esther saving her people. My teachers taught Esther was a good queen, while Vashti was a bad queen. However, lately, I keep coming back to Esther’s story because it resonates with my 60-year-old mind and heart in a profound way that makes me pause. Based upon my lived experiences and those of countless Black women of faith, I now know that Esther did not wake up one day feeling bold. She didn